THE JAMMU & KASHMIR REDEMPTION

Jammu & Kashmir,the former state is given the title of heaven because of its beauty.From the poetic and fairy tale-like autumn to the romantic snowfalls to the most colourful Tulip garden in Asia,the beautiful landscapes,the blue and vibrant sky,the adventurous atmosphere,the Trekking zones,the beautiful waters,etc.Some of the most important destinations in J&K include Srinagar,Gulmarg,Pahalgam,Sonamarg and the infamous Amarnath Cave and Veshno Devi Temple.The Amarnath Yatra and the Veshno Devi pilgrimage are two of the most important reasons for the tourism there.Thousands of Hindus arrive every year for these trips from different parts of India.But for a long time this heaven has faced turmoil by the hands of Terrorists,Militant & Separatist Groups,Pakistani pressure and Chinese pressure in the name of Independence.This has resulted in numerous acts of violence between the Hindus and the these Militant & Separatist groups who have infiltrated the former state by illegally entering through the Indo-Pak border.It is a heaven that does not have proper roads,a lot of the people there live a life filled with uncertainty,children are not getting proper education,Pilgrimage trips like Amarnath Yatra and Veshno Devi Yatra are always at risk of Terror attacks,the Indian Army and the J&K Police forces are regularly disrespected by stone pelters,the Indian flag is regularly disrespected,etc and since it had a special status and a separate constitution thanks to Article 370,the Indian Central Government really struggled to control the situation and had to always rely on the State Government which did not help the situation either.This is why 5th August was the day of revolution for J&K,a historic day that marked the redemption of J&K.

THE TIMELINE

I think the most important thing that people need to understand is the timeline of events that lead to the current condition of J&K because its a shame that our education system teaches us about The American & French Revolution but fails to teach us about the development of J&K crisis.I mean sure the J&K history is very convoluted and and even for me it is very difficult to write but I think it is important for the upcoming generations to learn about this convoluted topic.
Here is the chronological timeline of events of J&K and Article 370 that I reduced to some Key-events:-

1846: Maharaja Gulab Singh, a Dogra ruler, buys the region of Jammu & Kashmir from the East India Company after signing the Treaty of Amritsar (pdf).

1930s: Kashmiri Muslims are unhappy with the then Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule and feel his policies are prejudiced against them. This is also the time J&K’s first major political party, the National Conference (NC), is born along with its founder, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah’s, political debut. The Quit Kashmir movement against the maharaja is launched.

August 1947: India gains independence from the British empire, Pakistan is created as a Muslim-majority country. India’s princely states, those not officially with India or Pakistan, are given three choices—stay independent or join either India or Pakistan. Three such states are undecided—Junagadh, Hyderabad, and J&K. Indian home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel works to convince the undecided princely states to join India; Maharaja Hari Singh signs a standstill agreement with Pakistan, effectively opting for status quo.

October 1947: Armed tribesmen from Pakistan infiltrate J&K, Hari Singh realises he needs Indian help. He reaches out to prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel who agree to send troops on the condition that the maharaja signs an instrument of accession (IoA) in favour of India (pdf), handing over control of defence, foreign affairs, and communication. Hari Singh signs the IoA, Indian troops move in. The armed conflict continues.

January 1948: India takes the Kashmir issue to the United Nations (UN), raising concerns over Pakistan’s forced occupation of parts of Kashmir. The UN suggests a plebiscite, but India and Pakistan can’t agree on how to demilitarize the region. The conflict continues through 1948.

March 1948: Hari Singh appoints an interim government in J&K. Sheikh Abdullah named the prime minister.

January 1949: The UN mediates a ceasefire between Indian and Pakistan—also known as the Karachi Agreement—allowing the two countries to retain control over territories held at the time. No agreement on referendum yet.

July 1949: Hari Singh abdicates in favour of his son Karan Singh. Sheikh Abdullah and three colleagues join the Indian constituent assembly to discuss provisions of Article 370 under the Indian constitution that is still being drafted.

1950: The Indian constitution comes into force. Under this, Article 1 defines J&K as a state of India, Article 370 accords special status to J&K.

1951: The constituent assembly of J&K, the body responsible for creating the state’s constitution, convenes. All members belong to Sheikh Abdullah’s NC.

1952: Kashmiri leaders discuss their relationship with the union of India in the J&K constituent assembly. This leads to a comprehensive Delhi Agreement (pdf) that defines the relationship of the state with the union.

1953: Sheikh Abdullah is dismissed as prime minister allegedly because he had lost the support of his cabinet. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad takes his place.

1954: A presidential order extends several provisions of the Indian constitution to J&K’s constitution.

1956: J&K adopts its constitution (pdf) and defines itself as an integral part of India.

1957: The J&K holds its first legislative elections. J&K constituent assembly dissolved, replaced by a legislative assembly. Indian home minister Govind Ballabh Pant visits Srinagar, the capital city of J&K, and says the state is now fully a part of India. This leaves no possibility of a plebiscite.

1960: Both supreme court and election commission of India extend jurisdiction over J&K through an amendment in its constitution.

1962: China gains control of Aksai Chin region in J&K after a war with India.

May 1965: Titles of prime minister and sadr-i-riyasat officially changed to chief minister and governor, respectively.

June 1965: Abdullah’s NC merges with the Indian National Congress.

August 1965 to January 1966: War between India and Pakistan. Indian prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani president Ayub Khan sign the Tashkent Declaration marking the end of war.

1966: There is a revival of demand for a referendum in J&K and several armed outfits spring up in the region. These include the Plebiscite Front and the Jammu & Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKLF).

1971: A third war erupts between India and Pakistan.

1972: India and Pakistan sign the Simla Agreement which ratifies the ceasefire line as the Line of Control.

1975: Prime minister Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah sign Kashmir Accord, reemphasising Article 370, and J&K as an integral part of India. Gandhi says the “clock cannot be put back in this manner” to pre-1953 relations between the Indian Union and J&K, suggesting that a referendum is not possible. Sheikh Abdullah drops the demands for a plebiscite and resumes power as chief minister of J&K with Congress support.

1977: Congress-JKNC split; Congress withdraws support for Sheikh Abdullah’s government, paves way for central rule.

July 1977: Elections held in J&K, Sheikh Abdullah re-elected.

1977 to 1989: J&K sees a steady rise of militant outfits, several unstable governments, and arrests and killings of militant youth.

1990: Kashmiri youth take to streets to protest against Indian administration and hundreds of them die in clashes with Indian troops. Central rule declared just as outfits like JKLF gain strength. Kashmiri Pandits (Hindu Brahmins) flee their hometowns in Kashmir valley in the face of rising militancy. The central government imposes the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, giving armed forces unprecedented powers to counter armed militancy.

1990s: Militant insurgency on the rise. Several separatists, including Yasin Malik, arrested. The government of India tries to hold talks with various leaders in J&K. All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of 26 social and political movements, is established in 1993. A large number of civilians, armed personnel, and militants die in incessant violent clashes.

1995: Prime minister PV Narasimha Rao makes a statement in parliament assuring that Article 370 will not be abrogated. He reiterates that J&K is an integral part of India and that he wants president’s rule to end.

February 1996: India bans JKLF.

September 1996: Assembly elections held in J&K. JKNC’s Farooq Abdullah forms government.

November 1996: The centre appoints a committee to study the issue of autonomy to J&K.

1997: The national human rights commission sets up a J&K chapter to investigate human rights violations there.

1998: India and Pakistan test nuclear weapons.

February 1999: Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visits Pakistan.

June 1999: India and Pakistan go to war over Pakistan’s infiltration in Kargil.

December 1999: Indian Airlines flight, IC-814, from Delhi to Kathmandu hijacked by militants. India releases three militants in exchange for the flight and the passengers on board to be brought back safely to Delhi.

October 2001: The legislative assembly in Srinagar is attacked.

December 2001: Armed militants attack Indian parliament in New Delhi.

2004: Indo-Pakistani relationship stabilises after decades of instability. Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh meets Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf.

2005 to 2008: Clashes between armed forces, militants, and protesting civilians continue in J&K, but not on the same scale as during the peak of militancy.

November 2008: Terrorists affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba attack various public places, including prominent luxury hotels, in the port city of Mumbai.

2010: Protests erupt in J&K over a young militant’s killing.

2011: J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah pardons 1,200 stone pelters. The Indian human rights commission finds 2,000 unmarked graves near the LoC.

2013: Afzal Guru hanged for his role in the 2001 attack on parliament.(They literally took 12 years to do this!)

March 2015: The BJP forms a government in J&K with People’s Democratic Party for the first time.

April 2016: Mehbooba Mufti becomes chief minister after the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, her father.

July 2016: Burhan Wani, another young militant, killed in shootout with armed forces. J&K state erupts in massive protests. Curfew imposed for several months.

September 2016: Armed militants attack Indian Army base in Uri, J&K. The army retaliates with surgical strikes across the LoC.

July 2017: Thousands of residents of J&K take to the streets to commemorate Burhan Wani’s death. Militants attack pilgrims on their way to the revered Hindu shrine of Amarnath.

June 2018: BJP government pulls out of alliance with PDP.

November 2018: Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolves legislative assembly.

December 2018: Central rule declared in the state.

February 2019: A vehicle loaded with explosives crashes into an Indian paramilitary convoy, killing 40 personnel. India carries out retributive strikes on terror camps across the LoC in Pakistan’s Balakot region. An Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan captured by Pakistan and later released.

May 2019: The BJP returns to power for a second term in India.

July 2019: US president Donald Trump offers to mediate the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.

August 2019: Reports suggest a large number of Indian troops have been moved into J&K. Pilgrims to Amarnath asked to return. This is because a landmine with Pakistani markings has been found along the pilgrimage route.

August 4: Prominent Kashmiri leaders, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, placed under house arrest. Internet and mobile services curtailed, and section 144, which prevents a gathering of more than four people in public spaces, imposed.

August 5: Home minister Amit Shah proposes a presidential order to repeal Article 370 and 35A. J&K to be bifurcated as two union territories of Ladakh (centrally administered) and J&K (with its legislative assembly). Opposition parties protest in parliament; complete shutdown in Kashmir valley.

       Wow that was long and convoluted but it all boils down to 5th August,the day when the government made the decision to scrap Article 370 and along with it,Article 35A. Modi government did what every one else failed to do.This means that J&K will no longer have a separate and unique status and now India has full control there.Now people can go and settle their from any other state,buy lands,get education,etc.No more disrespecting of Indian Flag,no more stone pelting on our soldiers because now the soldiers can take action and the attackers are going down.
       But ever since the historic day,Pakistan has been in an angry mood looking for all possible ways to condemn India's move.While everyone congratulated the government for the bold and historic move, Pakistan treated it as if it was some kind of propaganda against the Kashmiri people.The Pakistani media has been extremely negative specially their newspapers, spreading hate against the Indian government and their decisions. Imran Khan called this move 'illegal' and decided to send this issue to the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) but it seems like even they do not seem to care about Pakistan's bullsheeet!

#WATCH Joanna Wronecka, President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) refuses to comment on Pakistan’s letter to UN regarding the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/FWDaT4CAi0

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2019

Since they cannot really do anything much at this point,it seems like they are taking out their frustrations on Twitter by trending #SaveKashmirFromModi in India.

HMMMMMMM.....

Obviously its not J&K because of of the Internet outage so yeah its them and they are using this hashtag to spread their own propaganda and hate in the name of freedom and care for Kashmir.But the truth is they have lost their window of opportunity to do anything about J&K and now they are angry because they did not expect such a uncertain step from India but they forgot that this is new India and this India will not stay quite anymore.The most important thing and the only thing that matters is that J&K people support the decision of the government and they know that this the time to redeem J&K and no force can stop it.So the opposition can try as much as they want to bring darkness but the light will always shine through.J&K was,is and always will be the part of India and now more than ever, the grip is stronger and now the Indian Tricolour will fly in J&K without any insults and disrespectful acts towards it.